The Diclonius Mother
by Gamer95
Summary: First story in my new line of adopted Harry fics. Lucy survived the events of the last episode, but is leaving Kouta behind, as she feels she doesn't deserve him. She finds herself in England after stowing away on a ship, and while escaping the enraged crew on the boat, ends up saving a young boy from his abusive relatives. How will she cope with having to raise a child?
1. Chapter 1

Darkness...

That was all that was known to the diclonius when the soldiers opened fire on her...That, and the pain of having a chunk of her horn blown off. As soon as the bullets made contact, she staggered back. Her eyes closed. She didn't even notice as she fell over the bridge and into the ocean. There was a splash as she hit the water.

The armed men looked down into the vast sea.

"Is it over?" One of them asked.

"Oh yeah. There's no possible way she could've survived that." Another replied.

"I didn't see any blood when we shot her..." One man said, unsure.

"The bullets may not have killed her...here's hoping the fall did." A different man replied.

"Well...there's nothing more we can do here. We're returning."

The waves splashed against the sandy shores, leaving behind various souvenirs on the beach. Sticks, seaweed, even some sea life, such as starfish. However, one of them contained something a little out of the ordinary... The unconscious form of a young woman with shortly cut pink hair, wearing a torn outfit consisting of a black dress, a pink undershirt, and black and grey striped stockings. Her most defining feature, however, were the pair of horns on her head, one of which had a large chunk missing. It was the dangerous diclonius that went by the name of Lucy.

After a while, her eyes slowly opened, and she became aware of her surroundings. She blinked in confusion, then pulled herself into a sitting position. She took in her surroundings and adopted a shocked expression on her face.

"I...I survived..." She breathed. "How..." She realized she had subconsciously shielded herself with her vectors. Lucy sighed and hugged her knees. She had been hoping the soldiers would have killed her...Still, a part of her was glad she survived the encounter...Maybe she could find Kouta, and...

No.

Lucy shook her head and pulled herself to her feet.

_"Kouta deserves better..."_ She thought. She had killed his entire family...While he had forgiven her...She still felt she didn't deserve him.

He was better off without her.

Lucy let a few tears flow down her face and onto the soft sand below her feet. Then she thought about what she would do next... Her tormentors of many years would more than likely be looking for her eventually. It would likely be in her best interest to get as far away from the city as she could...

She remembered seeing a harbour when she was living with Kouta. She quickly hatched an idea that would at the very least get some distance between her and her inevitable pursuers...

It was rather easy for Lucy to sneak aboard the large ship. All she had to do was knock a few crates over with her vectors [aside from the one she was hiding behind, of course] to get the crew members attention, and then she quickly, yet silently, climbed aboard the ship and hid in the cargo area.

Lucy watched out the window forlornly as the city she had met her childhood friend once more in grew further and further away. She was leaving behind her tormentors...

And Kouta...

Lucy gritted her teeth and closed her eyes as she let her tear drops fly.

_Meanwhile..._

Number 4 Privet Drive was a small, average looking house. It had a normal looking garden filled with various types of flowers, a few lawn gnomes here and there, a car parked in the driveway...It was an average house in every way, just like its neighbours.

But this house contained a dark secret. The inhabitants, the Dursleys, liked to think of themselves as a perfectly average, everyday family. But if there's one thing that average, everyday families don't do, it's violently and psychologically abuse children for being different.

Case in point? A young five year old child named Harry James Potter, silently sitting in his cupboard, a deep pit of dread in his stomach as he waited for his uncle to come home. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad this time...Maybe he'd only get a few bruises... Harry hugged his knees and whimpered. He felt tears threatening to come out of his eyes, but he blinked them away.

If there's one thing Vernon wouldn't tolerate from him, it's crying...

**So...Yeah, I know it's not very good...I've never been very good at setting up for the actual story, as I'm sure you can tell...I try my best, but...eh. I hope my nonexistant readers will stick with me, as I intend to improve. So, expect daily updates for this fic...until next Saturday, in which I will release a new story for this new series my friend and I came up with. Hope you enjoy. **


	2. Chapter 2

The ship came to a stop in a harbour in England. Lucy looked out the window of the boat and decided that now would be a better time than ever to get off.

She briefly considered casually walking off and just killing anyone who came near her...but then she thought about it...She seemed to be in a different state altogether...It was possible no one knew of what she was capable of just yet...Maybe she could finally live a normal life...

That's when she decided to take a more stealthy approach to her exit. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't used to stealth. She had just managed to exit the room, when she was spotted.

"Hey! We've got a stowaway!" One of the crew members shouted. Lucy's eyes widened. She considered fighting...but if she wanted to attempt a normal life, that probably wasn't a very good idea. So, she took the next best option.

She ran.

"After her! Don't let her get away!" One of the crew members called out. The diclonius heard the sounds of footsteps and yelling behind her and internally sighed.

_"Why can't anything in my life be easy?"_

_Meanwhile..._

The tiny five year old hugged his knees tightly as he waited. Every second felt like an eternity. When was Uncle Vernon coming home? Just getting his inevitable punishment over with was better than the agonizing wait. Maybe he was lucky tonight, and didn't do anything wrong?

Doubtful. Vernon always found something to punish him for. Missing a spot while he was cleaning, overcooking the bacon while cooking breakfast, someone's clothes shrinking in the wash...It was all his fault. Why did he have to be a freak? Why couldn't he be normal like the rest of his family?

A half hour later, Harry had grown sleepy. His eyelids drooped, and he felt himself entering sleep...

The sound of the front door slamming open snapped Harry awake almost instantly. The sound of his uncle's stomping footsteps didn't exactly bode well...

"BOY! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Harry heard the large man bellow from down the hallway. The little boy gulped.

"I-I'm in m-my cupboard, u-uncle Vernon..." He whimpered. The scrawny child flinched as the cupboard door harshly opened. Harry forced himself to look into the scowling face of his uncle.

"Dudley's room isn't clean, boy." The walrus-like man said menacingly as he loomed over the scared five year old.

"I-I did clean it, though, Uncle Vernon..." Harry whimpered. The small child saw his cousin on the stairs, shooting him a smug grin. That explained it...

Vernon roughly smacked Harry across the face, knocking him against the wall of the cupboard. "Don't you lie to me, you worthless little FREAK!" He spat. And with that, the larger man grabbed the small boy by the back of his oversized shirt and hoisted him up. "You know what happens when you lie." Harry whimpered. He was in big trouble now...

_Meanwhile..._

Lucy panted as she ran.

_"They just don't give up..."_ She thought as her pursuers shouted after her. She had managed to slow them down by using her vectors to drop objects in their path, so they were a fair distance behind, but she couldn't keep running forever. She had to lose them somehow.

Then, something caught her attention. A tool shed in the backyard of a small suburban house. She turned towards her pursuers, and noted that they were probably too far behind to notice if she ducked into the shed... Quickly, she leapt over the fence, picked the lock on the shed, ran inside, and slammed the door shut. Nothing to do now but wait and hope her hiding spot fooled them...She really hoped she didn't have to resort to killing them...

_In the house..._

"No good, worthless little freak!" Vernon shouted as he rained blows upon his nephew with the buckle end of a large leather belt. "We take you into our home out of the goodness of our hearts, and you can't even bother to perform one simple task?!"

Harry gritted his teeth as the belt added more scars and welts to his ever growing collection. He bit his tongue to keep from whimpering as he felt the buckle break through his skin, causing blood to ooze out of a deep cut in his back.

_"Why...?"_ Harry thought as the assault continued. _"Why can't I just be normal? Then Uncle Vernon wouldn't have to hit me anymore..." _

Then the belt hit a very sensitive area...right on a still tender bruise Harry had sustained from an earlier beating. The buckle connected hard enough to once more destroy the skin, causing more blood to flow.

The terrible pain was too much for Harry at this point. He found himself unable to hold back the agonized scream that escaped his lips.

_Outside the house..._

Lucy sighed in relief as she heard the ship's crew give up on looking for her. She waited a few moments, partly to catch her breath, partly to give the crew members time to leave. She cautiously opened the door to the shed and looked around outside. No one in sight. Lucy wiped some sweat from her brow. Now she could-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Her thoughts were interrupted as a pained scream filled the air. Lucy's eyes widened. She looked over at the house, the source of the scream.

That scream...Normally she would just ignore it...Just leave people to their own devices. But...something about that screen felt...wrong to her. She was oddly disturbed by the pained sounding nature of the yell. Something about it compelled her to see what it was about. Slowly, she approached the door...

_In the house..._

Harry's eyes widened in horror. Oh no...What had he done?! He wasn't supposed to do that!

He had absolutely no time to dwell on it, however, as the much larger man had flipped him over, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and lifted him up to eye level. Harry noted that his uncle's face was literally red with rage.

"WHAT. DID I SAY. ABOUT SCREAMING, BOY?!" Vernon roared as he wrapped his beefy hands around the small child's throat and started to wring his neck.

Harry's eyes widened as he felt his air supply get cut off. The small boy weakly struggled to escape his uncle's grasp and regain air in his lungs, but it was all in vain, as Vernon's grip was too strong.

Vernon decided not to strangle Harry to death, but he was far from done. He released his hold on Harry's throat, and as the little boy gasped for air, Vernon roughly tossed him away as hard as he could. Harry slammed into the wall with a sickening crunch, then fell to the floor.

Harry was unable to keep a few stray tears from falling at the agonizing pain. He was pretty sure Vernon broke some of his bones again...

"Stand up, boy." Vernon demanded. Harry weakly pulled his upped body off the floor, then moved to stand...but cried out slightly in pain at the terrible pain in his leg as he stood. The pain caused Harry to collapse onto the floor. "I said STAND UP, BOY!" Vernon roughly grabbed Harry and forced him onto his feet. Harry's legs once more gave out beneath him as the pain shot through them. "YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING LITTLE FREELOADER! YOU CAN'T EVEN STAND!" Vernon roared as he began raining punches down on the small child.

Harry thought Vernon was going to kill him...

They both froze at the sound of the door falling apart...

Lucy stared at the scene before her in shock. Then the shock quickly turned to absolute disgust and hatred for the man in front of her. The pink haired diclonius's one visible eye narrowed into a red slit.

Vernon was unnerved by the woman that had just somehow sliced apart his front door. The glare she was sending him only added to that. Still, he put on some false bravado to defend his property.

"Wh-What are you doing here?! This is breaking and entering! I have half a mind to call the police, and-"

Lucy was in no mood to listen to this man-no, this monster talk, so she instead let her vectors do the work.

Vernon stopped mid sentence as he looked to stare in shock at the stump that used to be his left arm. Shortly afterwards, his right arm fell off right along with it. And immediately after that, both of his legs were sheared right off, causing the overweight man to fall flat on his face. The pain was too intense for him to even scream.

Lucy stopped the vibrations of her vectors, and used them to balance the now limbless man on the stubs of his legs. Vernon stared in horror and agony as the woman slowly approached him. When she was close enough to reach down and touch him, she stopped and shot him the most terrifying glare he had ever seen.

Then, she spoke.

"It hurts. Doesn't it?" She asked. Vernon shivered at her tone. It was so cold, so malicious... She wasn't done, however. "How does it feel? To be absolutely helpless? To be unable to fight back against your tormentor? To have someone inflict so much pain upon you while you can't do anything about it?" Vernon said nothing, only managing to let out a pained whimper. "There's another in this room that will agree with you that it's not a pleasant experience." And with that, she focused her gaze on Harry as Vernon succumbed to his injuries and died.

Harry stared in horror at his uncle, now limbless and absolutely helpless. What had this woman done to him...? Harry's eyes drifted to his uncle's tormentor...and promptly widened in fear when he realized she was now looking at him.

Harry whimpered and pulled himself to his feet. He desperately tried to run...but cried out in agony as his legs once again gave out beneath him, causing him to fall flat on his face.

Lucy's eyes softened at the sight of the pitiful little boy before her. Something about the scared child just tugged at her heartstrings... Maybe it was just the concept of seeing such a young child in so much undeserved pain... Slowly, she began to approach the child.

Harry looked at the woman, wide-eyed in terror, as she began walking towards him. He couldn't walk, he wasn't fast enough to crawl...He would just have to wait for the inevitable...This was all his fault...He didn't know what he had done, but it was his fault... Whimpering, Harry covered his face with his arms and braced himself for the inevitable. He felt something touch him and flinched, awaiting the agonizing pain...

It never came.

Instead, the small boy found himself being gently adjusted into a sitting position. Harry opened his eyes and slowly lowered his arms from their position in front of his face. He looked at the woman who had just ripped his uncle's limbs off, the terrified expression never once leaving his face.

Lucy frowned at the expression on the child's face. Maybe she shouldn't have dismembered his uncle right in front of him, though the bastard did deserve it...She felt the need to assure the child that she meant no harm. So, slowly and gently, she reached out and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He looked surprised at the gesture, quickly looking at Lucy's hand, and back to her face...which was now giving him a soft, reassuring smile that somehow melted away all his fear.

"It's alright." She assured him softly. "I'm not going to hurt you." Harry blinked at her.

"Wh-Why did y-you kill uncle Vernon...?" He asked softly, scared she might hit him for talking out of turn. To his relief, she smiled in response.

"I...I felt the need to save you from him..." She responded.

"B-But did you have to...to kill him?" He asked. Lucy frowned. Maybe there was a chance no one would know it was her...

"...I just...couldn't control myself..." She explained softly. She made a mental note to try to avoid killing around the child...

"Oh...Like me and my freakiness..." Harry said. Lucy blinked at this, but shrugged it off.

"Listen...I can tell this is not a very good home for you, and anywhere else would be much better...How would you like to come with me?" Harry looked up at her, and thought about it.

This woman seemed nice...and he didn't want to know what Aunt Petunia and Dudley would do to him if they saw what happened to Vernon...

Harry looked up at the pink-haired lady and nodded shyly. Lucy smiled, then gently took Harry into her arms. Harry flinched at the physical contact at first...but when he saw she wasn't hurting him, he relaxed. The feeling of being gently held in the woman's arms, with his head rested against her shoulder, was actually quite comforting. In fact, it was the most comfortable he had ever been.

Harry let out a small yawn, and then he fell asleep in the diclonius's arms.

Lucy looked down at the sleeping child...and then let a small smile grace her features. Not wanting to spend any more time in that house, she quietly walked out the door, Harry in tow.

_In the house..._

Petunia Dursley noticed things got eerily silent after listening to her husband giving the freak another well-deserved beating. Unsettled by the silence, she got out of her bed and went to see what the problem was. She walked down to the living room.

"Vernon?" She called. "Is everything al-" Her face blanched when she saw her husband's corpse. She let out a shriek comparable to that of a banshee.

_With Lucy..._

Lucy scowled back at the house when she heard the scream. So there were other people in that house that either condoned or had a hand in this child's abuse... They were lucky they weren't in the room, or she would have killed them as well...

She noticed the sound of the scream slightly disturbed Harry's slumber, as he shifted uncomfortably in her arms. Quickly, she stroked his back, which almost immediately brought the slightest hint of a smile to his face. Lucy smiled at the sleeping child, but one thought ran through her mind.

_'What am I going to do with you?'_


	3. Chapter 3

Lucy continued walking as she looked down at the sleeping child in her arms. She wasn't too sure what she was going to do with him...

_'Maybe I could just take him to an orphanage...'_ Lucy immediately shot down that idea. Sure, Harry didn't have anything unusual about him, such as horns, but still...the orphanage could be a cruel, terrible place... This boy had suffered enough already. _'Maybe I can just leave him at someone else's doorstep...'_ If she hadn't been carrying Harry, Lucy would have facepalmed at the stupidity of that idea. Yes, just leave an injured child on some stranger's doorstep in the middle of the night. What could possibly go wrong?

Lucy sighed. _'Well...It looks like he's staying with me...'_ A part of her protested against this, saying she couldn't possibly care for him and that anyone else would be a better caretaker than her.

Another part of her felt a warm feeling inside at the prospect of helping this child...

Lucy shook those feelings away, and decided she needed to find a place to rest...

_At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy..._

Albus Dumbledore was deeply concerned. He had been keeping track of the blood wards around the Dursleys house that were keeping Harry safe from potential threats...and they had been severed. Harry Potter had been taken from the Dursley's residence.

Dumbledore decided he needed to get to the bottom of this, quickly. Harry could be in grave danger... Leaving behind a note to explain his absence, he made a quick apparition trip to Number 4 Privet Drive, hoping to find some answers...

_Back with Lucy..._

It was around midnight when Lucy had finally managed to find a place to rest and think about what to do next. She had managed to stumble across a recently abandoned warehouse. It wasn't perfect, but it would be just fine for the night... The diclonius looked down at the small child in her arms, then cringed slightly upon noticing the state of his leg. It was bent out of shape...She made a mental note to find a hospital to get that treated in the morning...

Shaking her head, the pink haired young woman entered the warehouse, and sat against a wall, looking down at the young boy sleeping soundly.

Harry's eyes slowly opened. He blinked in confusion. Shouldn't he be bleeding in his cupboard right now? He felt quite a bit more comfortable than when he'd normally wake up...

Then he remembered. The pretty pink haired woman saved him from his uncle and took him away from the house. He realized he had fallen asleep when she picked him up. Harry hesitated slightly before looking up at his saviour. She smiled gently down at him.

"I see you're awake." She said calmly. Harry gave her an unsure expression...then his stomach decided to speak its mind.

Lucy's smile widened slightly at the grumbling sound coming from the boy's stomach. "I'll see if I can find something for us to eat..." She said as she gently placed the boy on the floor, in a sitting position against the wall. The little boy nodded in response. Lucy smiled at him as she left to see if she could find anything, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts.

_'W-Why is she helping me? I...I thought freaks didn't deserve help...'_

Lucy decided to poke around the warehouse to see if the workers left anything behind. She eventually stumbled across a food storage area. Inside, she found a loaf of slightly stale bread, about a dozen apples, and a box of crackers. Not exactly a feast, but it would do for now...

_At Number Four Privet Drive..._

In a flash of magical light, an elderly man with a long white beard appeared before a familiar house. Albus Dumbledore quickly approached it, wanting to find out what happened to Harry...and noticed the front door of the house was in pieces. His eyes widening in fear, the old wizard picked up the pace. Then he heard sobbing coming from the living room. Now terrified for the boy who lived's safety, Dumbledore ran into the living room to find Petunia Dursley sobbing over what appeared to be the limbless corpse of her husband. The sight made Albus's blood run cold.

If Mr. Dursley was dead, what had happened to Harry?

"Petunia?" Dumbledore called out softly. The horse-like woman's eyes snapped up, and her face contorted into an enraged snarl at the sight of the old wizard.

"You." She spat.

"Yes, Petunia. Me." Dumbledore nodded. "Please...tell me...what happened here."

"This is ALL YOUR FAULT!" Petunia yelled as she pointed an accusing finger at Dumbledore. "IF YOU HADN'T BROUGHT...HIM HERE, MY VERNON WOULD STILL BE ALIVE!"

"Petunia, please, calm down!" Dumbledore tried to reason, but Petunia wouldn't listen to him.

"THE FREAK IS GONE, OLD MAN!" She yelled furiously. "SOMEONE CAME IN WHILE VERNON WAS GIVING HIM HIS RIGHTFULLY DESERVED PUNISHMENT, KILLED VERNON AND TOOK THE NO GOOD LITTLE FREAK AWAY!"

Dumbledore looked at her in shock. "Punishment? What did Harry do to warrant punishment?" He asked, afraid of the answer. Was Harry simply misbehaving?

"HE WASN'T DOING HIS CHORES PROPERLY!" Petunia replied angrily. "WE SPECIFICALLY TOLD HIM WE WANTED OUR LITTLE DUDDIKINS' ROOM SPOTLESS, AND THERE WAS STILL A MESS WHEN VERNON RETURNED FROM WORK!"

Dumbledore's fists clenched. "Tell me, dear...What WAS Harry's punishment for failing to clean your son's room?" Petunia's face blanched at the question, as she realized she had talked herself into a corner here...

"Um...Well, um..."

Dumbledore wanted the truth and nothing but the truth. There were certain spells that only truly powerful wizards and witches could perform, one of which was a more powerful version of the Confundus spell, which had the same effects as the truth serum.

Petunia's face turned pale as a ghost when she saw Dumbledore pull out his wand. She had no time to run as Dumbledore made a few gestures with his wand and say "CONFUNDO!"

The force of the spell knocked Petunia back. Calmly, she sat up and looked at Dumbledore.

"Now, Petunia. I'm going to ask you some questions." Petunia nodded.

"What was Harry's punishment for failing to clean your son's room?"

"Vernon beat him with his belt." Dumbledore's eyes widened at this. Beating a child for not cleaning a room that belonged to his cousin...? Dumbledore shook his head and continued with the procedure.

"Has Vernon beat Harry with his belt before?"

"Yes."

"How long has this happened?"

"Since he was two." Dumbledore gasped audibly. Had he really condemned Harry to such a fate...?

"Did he do anything besides hitting Harry with his belt?"

"Yes." Dumbledore was afraid to find out...

"...What did he do?"

"He's hit him with Cricket bats, as well as anything else he could hit him with, burned him with cigarettes, punched him, kicked him, strangled him, thrown him, locked him in his cupboard, made him go days on end without food, made him do endless chores..."

Dumbledore's fists clenched around his wand as he listened to Petunia list the horrible things her husband had done to the boy who lived. What had he done...?

"...Did you have a hand in any of these actions?"

"Yes."

Dumbledore had heard enough. He quickly performed the counter curse, and Petunia sprawled out on her back.

Albus Dumbledore had a very, very long fuse. But right now, he was enraged beyond all comprehension. The fact that the people he had trusted to care for Harry had done such horrible things to him burned him with rage. Still, he never once lost his temper as she scowled angrily at the horse like woman begging on her knees for mercy.

"Mercy?" Dumbledore all but spat. "I'm sure Harry begged for mercy as well...Many times. But none was shown to him." Petunia scooted back against the wall as the elderly wizard approached her. "I have never been more disgusted by a human being in my life. Even Lord Voldemort never once made me this furious. I trusted you to care for Harry. Instead, you used and abused him, an innocent child. Your husband deserved what he got. I sincerely hope he felt every moment of his death." And with that, Dumbledore turned to leave. "And you deserve to live without your husband, and the knowledge that you are nothing more than a monster." Dumbledore headed for the door.

Petunia was furious. How dare that...that FREAK call her a monster?! She wasn't thinking when the next words came out of her mouth...

"He's likely to be dead, you know." Dumbledore stopped at the door. "If this person who killed my dear Vernon had no issues in doing so, why would they let that freaky little abomination li-" Petunia froze and realized she made a mistake when the elderly wizard held his wand under her chin and gave her a dark glare.

"Harry Potter was not a freak." He all but growled. "The true freaks are the ones who hurt others who are unable to defend themselves." Slowly, Dumbledore lowered his wand from the whimpering woman and stormed out the destroyed door.

When Albus was outside, he closed his eyes and felt tears threaten to fall. He clenched his fists. Petunia was probably right about one thing...If Vernon was dead...It was very possible they had killed Harry as well.

Dumbledore looked into the night sky. "Lilly...James...Harry...Forgive me..." And with that, he apparated back to Hogwarts. It was time to inform the others of the bad news...

_Back in the warehouse..._

Harry looked up as the woman came back with her arms full of food items. She smiled and sat down next to him. He weakly smiled back.

"...What's your name?" Lucy asked the small boy before her. He looked down shyly.

"H-Harry, ma'am..." He replied softly. Lucy smiled.

"My name is Lucy." She introduced.

"Hi Miss Lucy..." Harry said quietly.

"You don't have to call me Miss Lucy." Lucy said with a soft smile. "Just Lucy is fine."

"Oh...Okay..." Harry replied, looking downwards.

"Here." Lucy said as she used her vectors to cut the bread in half and handed half of it to Harry. The little boy looked at it in confusion. "Take it." Harry looked at Lucy, unsure, then tentatively reached out and grabbed the bread from her hands. He set it in his lap and looked at it for a few moments, then blinked as Lucy put six apples and a large handful of crackers on the ground next to him.

Harry looked at the food for a few moments, unsure of what to do.

"Eat." Lucy said simply. Harry looked at her again.

"A-Am I really allowed to eat all this?" He asked uneasily.

"Of course you are." Lucy replied with a frown.

"I...I don't have to wait until you're done?"

"Why would you have to wait for me to finish?" Lucy asked with a tilted head.

"Because back home I was only allowed to eat what Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley didn't..." Lucy growled at this, causing Harry to flinch.

"I'm sorry." Lucy apologized quickly. "I'm not angry with you." _'I'm angry with that fat bastard you call an uncle! I should have made him suffer much longer...'_ Lucy sighed and smiled softly at Harry. "Eat, Harry. You need to eat."

Harry hesitated, then slowly raised the stale bread to his mouth and took a large bite out of it. He looked to Lucy, who smiled and nodded, then chewed and swallowed. Lucy smiled as Harry continued eating, then got started on her own share of the meal.

After they were done eating, Harry let out a yawn. Lucy blinked at this.

"You're already tired? You just woke up about an hour ago." Harry looked down in shame.

"I'm sorry..." He said softly. Lucy smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright. We can go to sleep now if you want..." Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy noticed an old curtain covering one of the windows. She rose to her feet, approached the curtains and tore them off of their position in front of the window. Then, she went back to Harry and wrapped the curtain around his tiny, frail body as a sort of makeshift blanket. Then, she gently scooped him into her arms and held him so that his head was resting against his chest. Finally, she raised her vectors, being absolutely careful to ensure they weren't vibrating at all, then gently wrapped them the little boy.

Harry smiled in content as he rested his little head against the pink haired woman's chest. He couldn't for the life of him remember a time in his life where he had ever been this warm and comfortable...It took him all of ten seconds to fall asleep in Lucy's arms.

Lucy smiled at Harry's sleeping form, then slowly withdrew her vectors, not wanting to cut the small boy by accident. She leaned her head against the wall, and slowly fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Lucy's eyes slowly drifted open. She let out a small yawn, then looked down to see how Harry was holding up in his sleep. She smiled at the sight of the little boy with his arms wrapped around her, smiling slightly as he slept peacefully.

Then she noticed that his leg was already in the process of healing.

Wait, what?!

Lucy looked at Harry's leg in surprise. Her shocked facial expression quickly gave way into a smile, however. This was a very good thing for two reasons: one, the sweet little boy would spend less time in a state of pain, and two, she didn't have to worry about looking for a hospital as long as she made sure he didn't do anything too strenuous on his leg.

She considered waking him up, but took another glance at how peaceful he looked and decided against it. She smiled as she continued to hold the tiny little boy.

She then got to thinking about the prospect of taking him with her... On one hand, she had grown to enjoy his presence. Something about the child brought a warm, tingly sensation to her heart.

On the other...she was on the run from men who wanted to perform terrible experiments on her, she had no permanent residence or money, and she had no experience in taking care of children. Was taking him with her really the best course of action...?

She was pulled from her thoughts when she felt Harry shifting in her arms. She looked down at him...and her heart warmed at the content smile on his face.

She just didn't have the heart to give him up...

Harry's eyes fluttered open, and he let out a small yawn. He looked up at the woman holding him with a sleepy smile.

"Good morning, Lucy..." He greeted her with a very slight, timid quake in his voice. Lucy smiled back down at him.

"Good morning, Harry." She said softly as she stroked his back. Harry flinched slightly at the touch, and Lucy withdrew her hand. "I'm sorry. I forgot... you probably still have injuries from the fat man, right?" Harry nodded shyly. Lucy gritted her teeth as her face hardened...she forced herself to calm down as she ran her fingers through the boy's messy black hair. "So...how's your leg feeling?"

Harry blinked, then realized...his leg was already feeling better.

Oh no...

Harry's eyes widened in panic. "I-I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY! I WON'T DO IT AGAIN! PLEASE DON'T BE ANGRY! PLEASE!"

Lucy stared at Harry in shock and confusion, unsure of what to make of the situation as Harry began to hyperventilate. She snapped out of it quickly, and tightened her hug.

"Harry...What's wrong? What do I have to be angry about?"

"M-My leg healed too fast..." Harry whimpered. Lucy frowned.

"Why would I be angry with you for healing quickly?" She asked. Harry looked at her in surprise.

"U-Uncle V-Vernon said I-I'm not allowed to do f-freaky things..." He whimpered softly. Lucy's face contorted in rage at the obese man who had caused this innocent child so much pain. Harry, unfortunately, took it the wrong way and thought Lucy's anger was directed at him. He whimpered at the sheer anger emanating off of the pink haired woman and tried to make himself as small as possible. "P-Please don't hurt me, Lucy...I'm sorry...Don't lock me away..." He felt tears threatening to fall, but he blinked them away. He didn't want Lucy to get any angrier...

Lucy's anger faded away the instant she looked down at the little boy in her arms, trying to make himself appear small... Harry's terrified demeanour was tearing at her heartstrings. Any anger at the man she personally killed was replaced with a desire to comfort the small child.

The diclonius adjusted the little boy so his head was resting on her chest, gently stroked his head and made soothing noises to calm him down. Gradually, Harry forgot his fear, and leaned closer into the woman's touches, enjoying the affection immensely.

"Harry...Let me make you a promise." Harry blinked at this, and looked into the pink haired woman's eyes. Her eyes were filled with warmth. It immediately made Harry forget he had been terrified of her at one point. "I promise you that I will NEVER hurt you. Never. In any way. I can't think of anyone on this planet who deserves to be hurt less than you." _'Not even Kouta...'_ She added mentally. Harry looked up at her with an unsure expression, then hugged her back. Lucy smiled as she held him close. "Besides..." Harry looked at her again. "You're no freakier than I am." Harry blinked in confusion...then saw Lucy pointing at her head. He looked...and gasped as he saw the horns on her head. Lucy smiled at his expression. "I'm more of a "freak" than you could ever think of being."

_'I'd best be good..." _Harry thought nervously. _'I don't want to make her mad...'_

"Harry?" Lucy asked.

"Hmm?" Harry replied.

"Is your leg feeling well enough for you to stand?"

"Um...C-Can you put me down so I can try...?" Lucy smiled and nodded as she gently placed the tiny child on the floor. Harry squirmed out of the curtains that made up his makeshift blanket, then attempted to get to his feet.

As soon as he was standing, he felt pain explode up his leg, and immediately fell on his seat with a pained yelp. Lucy was by his side in an instant, concern plastered onto her face.

"Are you alright, Harry?" She asked.

"Y-Yes Lucy..." Lucy frowned.

"You still can't stand?"

"I-I'm fine..."

"Harry..."

"R-Really!" Harry moved to get back to his feet, but Lucy put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him down gently.

"No, Harry. It's okay that you're injured. I can just carry you until your leg heals."

"Y-You don't have to do tha-" Harry was interrupted as he felt himself being gently lifted off the ground and held against the Diclonius's chest. He blinked...then remembered just how much he enjoyed it when Lucy held him like that. Deciding to enjoy his current position, he rested his head against the pink haired woman's chest and enjoyed the warmth and safety he felt when in her presence.

Lucy looked at the little boy resting happily in her arms through the corner of her eye, and felt a warm smile grace her features. She walked out of the warehouse, Harry in tow, and walked towards the sunrise, wondering what her next course of action would be.

_Hogwarts..._

Albus Dumbledore wore a solemn expression on his face as entered his office.

"Albus?" The elderly wizard looked up in surprise at the sound of a strict-sounding female voice.

"Minerva...Good morning..." Dumbledore replied. "Where you waiting for my return?"

"Yes, Albus. I found your letter." Minerva replied. Dumbledore noticed her expression was one of concern. "Albus...Is Harry alright?" Dumbedore internally flinched at the question, but knew she deserved to know.

"...I made a terrible mistake, Minerva..." Dumbledore sighed as he sat at his desk.

"Albus...?"

"...You were correct in your assumption that the Dursleys were the worst kinds of muggles there were..."

"What happened?!" Mcgonnagal demanded, now losing her temper.

"...They abused him...Both physically and emotionally..." Dumbledore's head snapped to the side as Minerva's palm connected firmly with his cheek.

"DAMN YOU, ALBUS, I TOLD YOU NOT TO LEAVE HIM WITH THOSE...THOSE PEOPLE!" She yelled shakily, tears starting to form.

"...You were correct, Minerva...I fully acknowledge that I was wrong..."

"AS YOU SHOULD! YOU DIDN'T SEE HOW AWFUL THEY WERE! I WAS THE ONE WHO SPENT AN ENTIRE DAY WATCHING THEIR ACTIONS! THEY'RE DISGUSTING HUMAN BEINGS!" Dumbledore bowed his head in shame. McGonagall took a moment to compose herself, and shakily asked "Where is Harry now, Albus?" Albus dug his nails into his desk.

"...Somebody destroyed the Dursleys' door and killed his uncle...And I fear young Harry shared the same fate...There's no sign of him..." McGonagall's eyes glistened with tears. Without another word, she turned, stormed out of the room, and slammed the door behind her.

Dumbledore took of his glasses and buried his face in his palms, allowing the tears to flow.


	5. Chapter 5

Lucy sighed as she sat down on the park bench, Harry in her arms. It had been two days since they had left the warehouse, and while his leg was noticeably healing, he still had trouble standing. Gently, the diclonius set Harry down on the bench, and gingerly touched the bows she had found in the warehouse and used to conceal her horns.

"So, Harry...How is your leg feeling today?" She asked. Harry looked at her, then decided to give standing another go. Slowly, the little black haired boy climbed to his feet...and stood perfectly straight.

Lucy's eyes widened and she smiled.

"Excellent! Can you walk?" Harry looked at her, then tentatively took a step forward...No pain! He was able to walk again! He looked to Lucy with a wide smile. The diclonius returned the smile. "Good. I couldn't carry you around forever." She said as she stood and ruffled his hair. The little boy smiled at his caretaker, and she smiled back...then they heard a low rumbling sound. The two looked into the cloudy sky. Lucy frowned. _'A storm is coming...'_ "...Come, Harry. We'd best find shelter...There's going to be a storm, and I don't want you to get sick." Harry's eyes widened nervously at the word 'storm', but he immediately calmed down after Lucy grabbed his hand and smiled at him. "Don't let go of my hand, alright?" She ordered gently. Harry nodded, and the diclonius led him off.

_Dumbledore's office..._

Albus Dumbledore sighed as he remembered the other staff members' reactions to the news. Snape had looked surprised. Sprout had wasted no time in tearing into him for his mistake. Flitwick had solemnly looked at the floor the entire meeting. Hagrid had broken down completely and bawled like a baby.

The elderly wizard dreaded to see how the wizarding world would react to the loss of their saviour...

But this was not something he couldn't tell them...

_With Lucy and Harry..._

Lucy internally cursed as she felt a few raindrops. The storm was starting and she hadn't been able to find anywhere to stay! She felt the trembling of Harry's little hand as the thunder got louder, and felt him press his body against her side. She turned to look at him, and her gaze softened when she saw him trembling against her side. The diclonius smiled as she gently took the child into her arms once more. Harry looked at her in surprise, but when a particularly loud bang from the thunder was heard, he almost immediately buried his face into her chest and whimpered in fear.

Lucy grit her teeth at Harry's fear, now more determined than ever to get him out of the storm. She quickly ran, eyes scanning the environment for a lapse from the storm. She found what she was looking for in a large shed in someone's backyard. Quickly, she hopped the fence and made a beline for the shed.

The married couple that lived in the house containing the shed happened to be looking out the window. They blinked in surprise when they saw a red-haired woman carrying a small child run into their shed. The couple exchanged glances.

"What...just happened?" The man asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I think those two ran into our shed to escape the storm, dear." The woman replied. The man frowned.

"Did it really have to be our shed? Don't they have a home they could go to or something?" The two exchanged glances. "...That shed won't keep them from getting wet...Think we should let them in?" The man's wife smiled at him.

"You are a saint." She said before kissing her husband's cheek. The man chuckled.

"So you keep telling me." And with that, he put on a raincoat and went out to the shed.

_Inside the shed..._

Lucy sighed with relief as she leaned against the wall of the shed and sat down, Harry curled in her arms, clinging tightly to her. She frowned down at the little boy and scratched the top of his head.

"Harry? Are you afraid of storms?" She internally facepalmed at her question. Of course he was afraid of storms! It was written right there in his body language...The way he cringed every time the sound of thunder was heard...The way he had his scrawny arms wrapped tightly around her...The way he was whimpering... Harry's current state upset Lucy greatly. As the boy nodded in response to her question, she unhesitatingly moved him so that his head was rested comfortably against her chest and stroked the back of his head.

Harry's whimpering gradually ceased at the feeling of Lucy's fingers stroking his messy black hair and the soothing sound of the diclonius's heartbeat. Soon enough, the boy became completely oblivious to most of his surroundings. To him, the only sound he heard was the sound of Lucy's beating heart. In his viewpoint, Lucy was the only thing in the room. With a content smile, Harry quickly fell into yet another deep slumber.

Lucy felt an intense warmth in her heart looking at how quickly Harry had calmed down when she held him... Her smile quickly turned to an expression of shock as the door to the shed slowly creaked open. Lucy snapped her head to the door to see a middle aged man with chocolate brown hair and a pair of thin wiry glasses looking at her. A few moments went by. Lucy was tensed, ready to run at any provocation...

"Uh...Hey there...Name's Mike...Mike Stevenson..." He greeted. Lucy blinked and looked at him untrustingly. "So...why're you and your kid there hiding in our shed?" Lucy stared at him for a few moments, as if daring him to try something.

"...We have nowhere else to go." She said bluntly, hoping he would leave.

"Oh...Geez, sorry to hear that, ma'am." Lucy raised a brow at this.

"...Thank you, I suppose..." She replied, unsure of whether he was trustworthy or not.

"Well, if you really have nowhere else to go, I guess you two could...stay with me and Susan for a while." Lucy's expression became confused.

"...What?"

"Uh...Yeah, you can come inside our house if you really want. Shed's gonna start leaking any second now anyway..." Lucy looked up at the ceiling of the shed, and sure enough, water was beginning to drip in. She glared at Mike.

"...All right...But if you do anything to hurt either of us, I will not hesitate to strike back in self defence." She warned. Mike chuckled nervously at the coldness in her gaze.

"N-Noted..." He stuttered. "Now c'mon. I brought an umbrella, so we can get the kid in without the rain waking him up." Lucy approached the man, still tense, and looked at him as he opened the umbrella over her head, then began to walk towards the house, the young man walking behind her.

Little did Lucy know, this was the beginning of her regaining her faith in humanity...


	6. Chapter 6

"...She's still alive?" Kurama asked in surprise. The soldier in front of him nodded,

"Yes, sir. One of our soldiers, Sosuke, was in England visiting a relative. A man was killed...Sosuke managed to identify the cause of death as the vectors of a diclonius. The same type of Vectors Lucy has..." Kurama looked grimly at the floor.

"...We must find her..." He said simply.

_A beach in Japan..._

As soon as he had seen the redhead diclonius bitch sneak onto that boat headed for England, Bando was determined to catch her and make her pay. It had taken a long time, with a ton of hard work and determination, but he had finally managed to earn enough money doing odd jobs around town to pay for a ticket to England. He didn't tell the facility about it. He wanted to kill the bitch himself. He glared into the horizon as the boat took off.

_'I'll get you, you bitch. You're gonna pay for mutilating me!'_

_Back in England..._

Lucy felt a wave of relief wash over her as Mike led her into the house and out of the stormy weather. A young, pretty woman with shoulder-length blonde hair approached with a warm smile on her face.

"You poor dears..." She exclaimed. Lucy raised a brow at this.

_'Poor dears? We just broke into their shed...'_

"These two don't have anywhere to go, hun." Mike explained. "They don't seem to have a home..."

"Well, we can't in good conscience let these two live on the streets now, can we?" The woman who Lucy guessed was Susan replied. She approached Lucy with a smile. "My name is Susan, dear. It's very nice to meet you." Lucy forced a smile back.

"...The feeling is mutual." She replied simply. Susan smiled.

"Now then, since you have nowhere to go...I don't see any reason why you shouldn't stay with us for the time being!" Lucy's eyes widened at this. These people barely even knew them, and here they were opening up their door to them?

"...Why?" She asked.

"Why what?" Mike asked with a confused frown.

"Why are you helping us? We haven't given a reason to..." Lucy explained. Mike and Susan smiled.

"Hey, people don't need reasons to do nice things. They just do it because it's the right thing to do, y'know?" Mike explained. Lucy blinked at this, and felt a bit uneasy about the situation. This could very well be some kind of trick...But then she looked down at the sleeping five year old in her arms. She decided to give these people a chance...For Harry's sake. The red-haired Diclonius looked up at the couple.

"...Thank you." She said simply, not wanting to offend them and get kicked out. She did make a mental note to keep a sharp eye on them, however.

"You're very welcome, dear." Susan replied with a smile. "Come now, why don't you put your darling boy down on the couch over there, and we'll get you some tea, hmm?" Lucy hesitated as she looked at the sleeping Harry. She sighed.

"...All right..." She said. Reluctantly, she placed Harry down gently on the couch. She let a smile come to her face as Mike gently placed a thick wool blanket over the child. Quietly, she approached Harry and ran her fingers through his messy black hair, making the boy smile contentedly as he slept. Lucy, with much reluctance, stepped away from Harry and allowed Susan and Mike to lead her into the dining room.

_Harry's dream after Lucy puts him down..._

Harry yelped in pain as he was roughly thrown against a wall. He quickly sat up and pressed himself against the wall, trying to make himself as small as possible as the massive figure of his uncle towered over him menacingly.

"Thought you'd seen the last of me, didn't you boy?" Vernon sneered as he undid his belt. "You. Thought. WRONG!" Harry whimpered in response. "I'm not happy with what that WOMAN did to me. And it never would have happened if you hadn't screamed. There's only one way I can think of to properly punish you." Harry yelped in pain as Vernon yanked him off the ground by his hair.

"Wh-What are you going to do...?" Harry whimpered in terror. Vernon gave him the most terrifying, sadistic smile he had ever seen.

"You got me killed, boy. I think it's only fair I return the favour." Vernon walked towards the oven and threw Harry in as hard as he could. The boy who lived scramble to his knees as quickly as possible and watched in horror as Vernon turned on the oven to full heat...

Harry woke up in a cold sweat, panting slightly. He sighed, relieved that it was only a dream. Then he realized...for the first time in days, he had not woken up in his guardian's arms. Sitting straight up, he looked around at his surroundings. He was in a small, cozy looking house, sleeping on a couch...But...

"L-Lucy?" Harry called out nervously, afraid she had left him. As if on cue, the diclonius walked into the room, saw him and smiled.

"Hello, Harry. I was just coming in to check on you. We didn't wake you, did we?" Harry shook his head.

"L-Lucy? Wh-Where are we?" He asked shyly.

"Well...the owners of the shed saw us. They offered to let us stay with them for the time being." Lucy smiled. "We have a house to stay in, Harry." Harry smiled, slightly relieved they didn't have to sleep outside or in abandoned buildings for a while. Then Mike and Susan walked in and smiled at seeing Harry awake.

"Hey, our little man's awake!" Mike exclaimed. "Sleep well, buddy?" Harry nodded, deciding against telling them about the dream he had. It was just a dream, no sense in bothering them...

"So, Harry, was it?" Susan asked. Harry nodded shyly, and Susan smiled. "It's very nice to meet you, dear. Are you feeling hungry?" Harry was about to tell her not to worry about him, but his stomach interrupted him. Susan giggled. "Well, we have plenty of food. Mike, come help me in the kitchen, will you love?"

"Sure." Mike shrugged. He turned to Lucy and Harry. "You two just do your thing, okay?" Lucy smiled as he left the room and sat next to Harry. She was slightly taken aback when he hugged her, but smiled and returned the hug nonetheless.

"Are you glad to be living in a house now, Harry?" She asked. Harry smiled up at her.

"Y-Yes, Lucy." He was glad to be in a safe environment. As he spent time leaning contentedly against his caretaker, he slowly managed to push the nightmare he had down into his subconscious. After all, it was a one time thing, right?


	7. Chapter 7

Harry woke up in a cold sweat for the seventh time that week. The nightmares had not stopped... He and Lucy had been living with Mike and Susan for a week now. And every single night, Harry had suffered another nightmare... One nightmare had Vernon beating him bloody before throwing him out a three story window. One had the fat walrus-like man running him over with his car. One had Vernon roughly throwing him off a cliff.

All of the nightmares were of the Dursleys hurting him.

After the third nightmare, he considered telling Lucy about it...but decided against it. It was just a silly dream...Not worth bothering his caretaker over...right?

This particular nightmare, though, where Vernon was burying him alive, felt so real...Harry could feel the soft dirt smothering him, he could feel himself being crushed underneath the cold, unforgiving earth... It was absolutely terrifying. The little boy couldn't help himself...He let out a tiny whimper and felt a few tears stream down his face.

"Harry...?" Harry hurriedly wiped the tears away at the sound of Lucy's voice and turned to her.

"Y-Yes, Lucy?" He asked, an audible quake in his voice. Lucy frowned.

"...Are you alright? I heard you whimper..." Harry nodded.

"I-I'm okay, Lucy..." Lucy's frown deepened. She didn't like that Harry was keeping something from her...But she wouldn't press him for details. If he wanted to tell her, he would.

"Well...All right..." Lucy turned to leave. "...You know you can tell me anything, Harry." And with those words, she walked out of the room. A part of Harry wanted to call out for her to come back, to tell her about the nightmares, for her to make things all better like she always did...But he refused to bother her after she had already done so much for him... And so, he laid his head against the pillow, and fell into another fitful slumber.

Unbeknownst to him, Lucy was watching him through the doorway. She had suspicions on whether or not he was truly all right, and she wanted to make sure he was telling the truth... She got her answer mere moments later when Harry once again began whimpering and tossing and turning in his sleep.

Lucy was in action almost instantly. She rushed to the little boy's side, concern written all over her face, and gently shook him.

"Harry! Harry, wake up!" She said loudly enough to wake him. Harry's eyes quickly snapped open, and he panted heavily before sighing with relief.

"J-Just another n-nightmare..." He said to himself softly.

"ANOTHER nightmare...?" Harry's eyes widened at the familiar voice, and he slowly turned his head to meet Lucy's concerned gaze.

"L-Lucy! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to wake you! Please don't be angry!" Lucy placed her index finger over his lips.

"Shh...You didn't wake me. I...I never really left the room...I saw you sleeping...You were tossing and turning...Harry...Did you have a nightmare?" Harry looked down, shame written on his face, and nodded. "...You said it was another nightmare...Does that mean you've had nightmares with me before...?" Harry nodded again. Lucy looked at him sadly. "How long have you been having these nightmares for...?" She asked.

"...S-Since we g-got here..." Harry replied. Lucy teared up slightly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked simply. Harry refused to meet her eyes.

"I-I didn't want to bother you..." Lucy stared at him sadly for a few moments. Without saying a word, she reached over to Harry, scooped him up into her arms, held him close against her chest, and began stroking his back. Harry was taken aback by the display of affection, as he had essentially just admitted to lying to her face...But he did love it when she held him, so he snuggled closer into the embrace, eyes closed in content.

"Harry..." Harry looked up at Lucy as she spoke. "If you're upset...or scared...or hurt in any way...no matter what caused it, you can ALWAYS come to me. When you're afraid at night...that's something I need to know about. From now on, when you have nightmares...Please...Come and tell me. I won't hurt you, no matter what you do. I'll always be there for you. Always." Harry almost teared up. She really cared about him... "...What were the nightmares about?" Harry hesitated...But then he came clean and told his guardian all about the nightmares. All the dreams of Vernon torturing and killing him... Lucy closed her eyes and gritted her teeth at the thought of that fat bastard, as tears flowed down her cheeks...This was not the time to cry, however. Harry needed her to comfort him. The diclonius took a deep breath, and adjusted Harry in her arms to ensure he was comfortable. "...It's okay, Harry...He's never going to hurt you again...I'm sure he's getting punished for what he did to you right now..." That last part was her subtle way of saying that he was most likely rotting in the burning pits of hell.

"...Th-Thank you, Lucy..." Lucy smiled at Harry's soft voice. She looked down at the little boy as he rested his head on her chest, hoping to hear her heartbeat. She was unaware of how tender and loving the expression on her face was...As she continued to rub the child's back, she remembered a song she had heard before. She recalled the name of it being Lilium... Gently, the diclonius hummed the song to lull Harry back to sleep.

The combined effects of having his back stroked so gently, the sound of Lucy's heartbeat, and the soothing melody of the song she was humming quickly lulled Harry to sleep. This time, there were no nightmares.

Lucy smiled at the sleeping boy, then yawned and fell asleep herself, hugging Harry tightly like a child would a teddy bear.

From the doorway, Mike and Susan watched the whole thing.

"That is SO SWEET!" Susan gushed quietly. Mike chuckled.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was the kid's mom." As he said this, he went over to the couch and draped a warm blanket over the sleeping woman and child. "Eh, I have a feeling he'll be calling her mom eventually..." And with that, he and his wife went back to their bed, leaving the little wizard and his loving caretaker to sleep peacefully through the night.


	8. Chapter 8

"Sir!" The soldier said. "We've managed to narrow down her location!"

"Excellent." Kurama replied simply. "We must catch her before she causes too much damage..."

_Mike and Susan's, a week later..._

Harry and Lucy were watching TV in Mike and Susan's living room, the former sitting contently on the latter's lap. Lucy didn't show it, but she had a very bad feeling about this day...

"Hey, guys, whatcha watchin'?" Mike asked as he sat on the couch next to them.

"I'm not too sure myself..." Lucy replied. "A cartoon show of some sort...

"Ah, Looney Toons. Nice." Mike said. "These are classics." Then, Susan ran in the room, a look of grave concern on her face.

"Mike, there are armed men outside our house..." Lucy tensed up and her eyes widened.

"A-Armed men...?" She asked nervously. "...Are...are they dressed as soldiers? Are they of Japanese descent?"

"Yes. You know them?" Susan asked.

_'No no no no no! They couldn't have found me! I can't let them take me back! Harry needs me!'_ Lucy was internally panicking.

"Lucy? Are you alright, dear?" Susan asked.

"You look as pale as a ghost!" Mike added.

"L-Lucy...?" Harry asked softly, clutching Lucy's shirt fearfully. Lucy snapped out of her stupor and turned to Mike and Susan.

"...They're after me..." Mike and Susan looked at her wide-eyed.

"Whoa, hold the phone...Why would they be after you?" Mike asked. Lucy hesitated. But she knew that she had to show them...They were going to shun her for sure...But slowly, she reached up to her head and unattached the bows that were covering her horns.

Mike and Susan were shocked. They stared at the Diclonius's horns for a few moments, unsure of what to say. Lucy looked down, afraid to see their reactions. Harry looked back and forth between his caretaker and the people who had helped them.

"...Disgusting..." Lucy flinched at Susan's harsh words. Harry looked at her in shock, as if he was about to cry. Mike simply turned to look at her. "...Are you telling me those men are after you just because you have horns?!" Lucy looked at Susan, her eyes wide with shock.

"Y-You don't think I'm...a monster...?" She asked, stunned beyond all reason. Susan smiled warmly at Lucy.

"Lucy, you could't make me think you're a monster if you killed multiple people!" Lucy shifted uncomfortably. "You are a wonderful person, and I'm sure someday soon, you'll also be a wonderful mother!" Lucy blinked at this, and then Mike put his two cents in.

"She's right, y'know. It was awesome having you guys here. But...If those creeps really are after you, I guess it's too dangerous for you to stick around..." Mike looked thoughtful. "Susan, are they in the back, too?"

"No, only the front." Susan replied.

"Ha! Idiots!" Mike laughed. "Didn't cover the perimeter! That's the perfect place for you guys to escape while we distract them!"

"But...what if they hurt you...?" Harry asked softly.

"No worries, little man." Mike smiled as he ruffled Harry's hair. "We'll be fine."

Lucy teared up at the couple's kindness. "I...I don't know what to say..."

Mike snapped his fingers. "Oh! I just remembered..." He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of dollar bills. "Since you have to leave, I figure you'll need some cash for boat fare, plus paying for food and clothes and all that...So, uh, here's about 800 dollars." Lucy threw her arms around Mike and Susan.

"...Thank you...Thank you so much..." She whispered, her voice audibly quaking.

"It's our pleasure, dear." Susan smiled as she and Mike hugged Lucy back. "Now you'd best be off." Lucy nodded and turned to Harry.

"...Harry...It's time to go." Harry leapt into her arms without hesitation. Lucy held him tightly and rushed out the back door, agilely leapt over the couple's fence, and sprinted away from the house.

There was a knock on the door.

Mike and Susan exchanged determined glances, then went to answer it.

"Sir. Ma'am. It's come to our attention that a woman who looks like this is in the premises. Have you seen her?"

"She went that way!" Mike shouted, pointing in the exact opposite direction Lucy had run. "Go get her!"

"Thank you, sir." The soldier said with a nod as he left. Mike closed the door.

"Think they'll make it?" He asked.

"I know they will." Susan smiled warmly. "Harry and Lucy will be just fine...


	9. Chapter 9

**I know in the last chapter I said dollars instead of pounds... My half-assed excuse for this is that Mike is an American immigrant and it was a slip of the tongue. Oh, and while I'm at it...Opinr, if you're reading this, PLEASE try to be a little bit more constructive with your reviews. No offense, but it's getting a little old how you're constantly saying the same thing literally every chapter I write. Sorry for singling you out, it's just really bothering me.**

Lucy sprinted for the docks, Harry held tightly in her arms. The little boy looked up at her uneasily.

"L-Lucy...?" He asked softly.

"Y-Yes, Harry...?" Lucy panted, exhaustion getting the better of her.

"W-Why are those men after you...?"

"I'll...I'll explain when we get on a boat..." Harry nodded in understanding, and remained silent until they arrived at the docks.

Lucy sank to her knees in despair when she saw that all the ferrys had left already. "No..." She breathed. This was it...They were going to catch her and take her back...She would be experimented on some more...and Harry...What would happen to Harry...? Frustrated, she growled and pounded the ground with a free hand, keeping Harry held close with the other. "NO! THEY WON'T TAKE ME BACK! I WON'T LEAVE HARRY! I WON'T!"

"L-Lucy?" Harry whimpered. Lucy calmed down at the tone of his voice, looked at him sadly, and hugged him tight.

"I...I won't leave you..." She whispered. "I'll fight to the death to make sure you have someone to care for you..." Harry hugged back, trembling with fear. What was going on...?

Lucy's head snapped up at the sound of a foghorn. She turned to the water to see a ship approaching the docks. Once it had reached the docks, a tall middle aged man stepped out and sighed.

"Sure is good to be home!" He said with a chuckle. He climbed off of the ship and onto the docks, then made to head back to his home. But then he stopped when he saw a woman and a child. Raising a brow, he approached them. "Ahoy there!" He called out. The two turned to look at him, and the child timidly hid behind the woman's leg as the woman glared protectively at him. The sailor raised his hands defensively. "Whoa, easy there, I don't want no trouble!" Lucy's brow raised at his less than stellar grammar. "What are you and your son doing here at this time of night?" Lucy blushed and looked at the ground bashfully.

"H-He's not my son...I just...saved him from his uncle..." The sailor shook his head and sighed.

"His uncle hit him, didn't he?" Lucy nodded.

"He couldn't even walk after I rescued him..."

"It's people like that that give us humans a bad name." The sailor spat. "Good on ya for getting the lad out of there! Now, back to my question... What are you two doing out here?" Harry timidly peeked out from behind his parental figure's leg.

"W-We're trying to get away from the bad men that are after Lucy." He answered. The sailor's eyes widened.

"Bad men, eh? What'd you do to catch their eye?... Say, what are those things on your head there, missy?" Lucy then came to a realization...she forgot to put her bows back on! She hurriedly did so, holding her hands over them for good measure, staring in mortification at the sailor. The sailor blinked. "Well, ya don't see that every day...Still, is that the only reason they're after you? Well, you know what? Climb aboard and I'll take you out of this city myself!" Lucy stared at him.

"R-Really...?" She breathed. The sailor smiled.

"Well sure! Can't have a couple nice folks like you getting hunted down just because one of you is different!"

Lucy smiled sincerely. "...Thank you." The sailor smiled.

"Hey, I didn't catch your names!"

"I'm Lucy...And this is Harry."

"Thanks, mr...Um..." The sailor chuckled.

"The name's Paul! Paul Ryder! Now hop aboard, you two! Let's get you outta here!" Lucy nodded and scooped Harry into her arms, then followed the sailor onto the ship. "All right, off we go!" And with that, the ship set sail.


	10. Chapter 10

"All right, you two! You can sleep in the guest cabin!" Paul said with a grin as he gestured to a cabin on the boat. Lucy raised a brow.

"Guest cabin?" Paul chuckled as he scratched the back of his head.

"A few friends like to go sailing with me sometimes. Now...make yourselves cozy and I'll keep an eye on the water, make sure we're safely sailing." Lucy nodded, and approached the cabin, Harry in tow. She opened the door, and the two stepped inside a small, plain room with two bunk beds. The diclonius sighed and sat on the bottom bunk on the left, still tightly clutching Harry, who in turn was digging his fingers into her dress, looking up at her nervously.

"L-Lucy?" The little boy asked softly. Lucy looked down at him. "W-Why are those men after you...?" Lucy sighed. She couldn't keep it a secret any longer...

"Harry...do you remember when I...I killed your uncle...?" Harry nodded. "Well...he...wasn't the first one I've killed..." Harry stared up at her, shock written all over his face. Lucy cringed at the expression, but continued. "You see...When I was a child...People weren't kind to me...I...I grew up in an orphanage...The other kids would bully me because of my horns..." Harry's face turned sympathetic. He knew what bullying was like..."One day I just...snapped, and I killed people... I killed so many people..." Briefly, her mind flashed to the terrible day she had taken Kouta's family away from him. "After living alone on the street for some time..." That reminded Harry of the time Vernon had ditched him in a strange part of town. He was lucky to find his way back after a few days... "I was taken by a corporation that wanted to...to experiment on me...In...terrible ways..." Harry had a feeling Lucy suffered more than he ever did. So, the little boy immediately wrapped his arms around his caretaker's waist.

Lucy blinked in surprise. She had expected Harry to be afraid of her upon learning the truth...but instead he was trying to make her feel better? Then, she smiled and hugged him back. He was so sweet... "...Y-You're not going to do it anymore, right?" Lucy tilted her head.

"Do what, Harry?" She asked.

"K-Kill people." Lucy flinched at the words, but hugged Harry back.

"I won't kill anyone unless I have to." She assured.

"P-Pinkie swear?" Harry recalled Dudley using this on his aunt when she promised him three chocolate bars from the store... Lucy smiled, and the woman and child intertwined their pinkies.

"Pinkie swear." She said with a nod. "We should get some rest now...We'll need our strength." She gently tucked Harry into the bunk, and made to get in the bottom bunk on the other side of the cabin...

"Lucy?" Lucy turned her head when Harry softly called her name.

"Yes?" She asked.

"C-Can you sleep with me tonight?" Lucy looked slightly taken aback, as he had never asked her to sleep with him...but then she smiled warmly.

"Of course, Harry." She climbed in the bunk next to her charge and tucked them both in. She and Harry laid on their sides, looking at each other...and then, Harry slowly, but surely, edged closer to her. When he was confident he wouldn't be hit, he snuggled up next to his caretaker and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Lucy smiled and teared up slightly, happy that Harry was beginning to open up a little more with her. Wordlessly, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, leaving his head resting on her shoulder. The little boy adjusted his position a little to make himself comfortable, and quickly fell asleep. Lucy smiled once more, yawned, and joined him. She thought back to what Paul had said back on the docks...

She may not have been his mother...but she kind of wished she was.


	11. Chapter 11

The boat pulled out into the docks. Paul went down to the cabin to inform his passengers that they had reached their destination, and he let out a light chuckle when he saw that Lucy was fast asleep, holding Harry like a teddy bear.

"Boy, if she hadn't told me she wasn't his mother..." Shaking his head, Paul approached and gently shook the woman awake.

"Mmm? What is it, Paul...?" Lucy asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.

"We're in London now, Lucy." The sailor explained. "This is our stop." Lucy's eyes widened, and she smiled.

"Thank you, Paul. We'll leave now..." And with that, she bent over to scoop Harry into her arms, and made to leave.

"Hold on a sec!" Lucy turned to acknowledge Paul, who was writing something on a piece of paper. He handed her the sheet of paper he was writing on. "My phone number." He explained. "If you need another lift at any point, just give me a call and I'll come get you two."

"Why?" Lucy asked. Paul smiled.

"I can't stand to see anyone in trouble." Lucy smiled.

"I would hug you, Paul, but..."

I gotcha. Your arms are full. Well, good luck, Lucy!" He waved the diclonius off as she left the ship.

Lucy stepped out onto the harbour. Harry chose this moment to wake up. Yawning softly, he looked up at his mother figure.

"M-Morning, Lucy." He said softly. Lucy stroked his hair.

"Good morning, Harry. Did you sleep well?" She asked. Harry nodded.

"Wh-Where's Paul?" Harry looked up to the deck to see Paul waving down at them. Harry smiled and waved back. Paul smiled, then set sail once more. "So what are we gonna do now, Lucy?"

"We have plenty of money, Harry. We can spend some time in a motel I guess..." And with that, the woman walked down the street, the little boy held firmly in her arms. Lucy felt a little anxious looking around at the neighbourhood they were in. It seemed a bit run-down...There was graffiti everywhere and trash littered the street... The diclonius held Harry tighter, as she felt like they were in a bad neighbourhood...

"Well, what have we here?" Lucy's head snapped in the direction of the voice, and her eyes narrowed into slits as five men slunk out of the shadows of an alleyway. "Damn, you are one FINE young lady!"Harry whimpered and clung tightly to Lucy's shirt.

"...I'm not interested." Lucy said calmly. The leader of the gang licked his lips.

"Do I look like I give a damn?" Lucy snarled.

"There's a child here." She said, trying her best to remain calm. Just when she was starting to believe humans weren't all that bad...Looks like Mike, Susan and Paul were the exceptions to the rule...

"So, what are we gonna do with her, boss?" A tall, thin, almost snake-like man asked.

"And what about the kid?" A massive, overweight one added. The leader smirked.

"They're on our turf. Can't say I like that... First thing we're gonna do is kill the kid. Then we have our way with the girl and kill her too!"

"Can I go first, boss?" A short, scruffy man asked, grinning creepily.

"No way! Me!" A muscular man insisted.

"Boys, we all know that I'M going first!" The leader insisted. "I want to be first to get a crack at her..." These guys had absolutely no idea who they were dealing with...and she was absolutely was trembling by this point. "Haha! Look at that, fellas! She's scared!" They were wrong. Lucy was not scared. She was trembling with pure, righteous anger. She took a deep breath, then looked down at Harry, who was trembling in terror. She sighed, then whispered "Please...forgive me..." into the little boy's ear. Harry stared at her in horror. Was she gonna let them have him?

Lucy looked back up as the men approached, the leader with an ugly sneer on his face.

"Might as well come quietly, toots. Ya don't stand a chance agai-ACK!" The man's eyes widened as he felt something penetrate his stomach. He looked down. He didn't see anything...but he was bleeding heavily. The man collapsed to his knees, then fell flat out on his face when he felt whatever was stabbing him remove itself from his stomach. The rest of his gang stared in shock as their leader bled to death all over the ground. Scowling at Lucy, the tall one withdrew a gun...but much to his shock, the weapon was knocked right out of his hand by an invisible force. The gang stared at Lucy in horror...and then the sounds of sirens blared in the distance.

"THE COPS!" The short one exclaimed.

"WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!" The muscular one shouted. And with that, they all ran off, leaving their leader's corpse behind. Lucy looked down at Harry. He was trembling and his eyes were squeezed shut. The diclonius looked down in shame.

"...I'm so sorry, Harry..." She said sadly.

"I-It's o-okay, L-Lucy...I...I know why you had to do it..."

"...I just want to make sure you know this...I'll never hurt you, Harry...I...I love you too much for that..." Harry's eyes snapped open, and he stared at Lucy in shock. Lucy herself was a little surprised, but she shook it off and smiled at Harry anyway. This smile widened when Harry wrapped his little arms around her neck. She held him close...but the sirens had finally arrived.

"FREEZE! PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!"


	12. Chapter 12

"FREEZE! PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!" Lucy tensed at the loud, harsh voice, then held Harry closer. She snapped her head over to the man who spoke, giving him a glare that dared him to come closer.

The police officer took in the scene before him, then noticed the corpse of the gang leader. He looked...surprised. Blinking, he lowered his gun, then turned to Lucy. "M-Ma'am? Did you do this?" Lucy nodded, not losing her harsh glare.

"You're going to try to arrest me now, aren't you?" She said in a bitter tone. The officer chuckled.

"No, not at all." Now it was Lucy's turn to look surprised. "That man's been a real bugger to get a hold of, let me tell you...Him and his gang have done so many terrible things. Mugging, stealing, murder...You name it, they've probably done it. Really, you've done us a huge favour. That man was always the brains of the group. Without him, the whole thing will fall to pieces." Lucy was stunned. He was praising her for murdering someone? "Anyway...did they hurt you at all? Are you and your son alright?" Lucy blushed again, still not sure why people kept thinking Harry was her son.

"W-We're fine...And he's not my son...He's just a child I'm protecting." Harry visibly deflated when Lucy said he wasn't her son.

"Ah, my apologies, ma'am. ...You know, that man's been wanted dead or alive for years now. Since you took care of him for us, you could probably collect the 500,000 pound reward now. Want me to give you two a lift down to the station?" Lucy could not believe her luck. Not only was she getting praise for murdering someone, but also rewarded for it. With that kind of money...she'd be able to keep herself and Harry safe for a long time. So, she nodded.

"...Yes. A ride would be great. Thank you."

"Th-Thank you." Harry asked softly. The officer chuckled.

"No problem. The name's Thomas Randall. What are your names?"

"...Lucy and Harry." Lucy replied simply.

"Good to meet the both of you. Now come along, into my car." Lucy got into the police car, Harry held close in her lap. As the car drove off, she smiled down at the child.

"We're going to get by just fine, Harry." She said as she ran her fingers through his hair. Harry smiled and closed his eyes in content. He loved Lucy, and he wished she was his mother...but she said that she wasn't, so that meant he wasn't allowed to call her that... He didn't want to wreck their relationship, so he kept his mouth shut about it, enjoying the feeling of the young woman stroking his head gently...


End file.
